World median is the middle country on each statistic: half of all countries with data are above it, half below. It is not an average, so it is never pulled up or down by giants or microstates.
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
The median country fits inside India 30 times
India: 3,287,260 km² (2024) · World median: 111,370 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
India’s coastline is 16 times as long as the median country’s
India: 7,000 km (2026 edition) · World median: 440 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
India’s highest peak towers 6,251 m above the median country’s
India: 8,586 m (2026 edition) · World median: 2,335 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 60% of India, versus 38% of the median country
India: 59.9% (2024) · World median: 37.8% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
India has 198 times as many people as the median country
India: 1.46 billion (2025) · World median: 7.4 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
India is 5 times as densely populated as the median country
India: 492 per km² (2025) · World median: 98 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in the median country are 7.0 cm taller than in India
India: 166.5 cm (2019) · World median: 173.5 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in the median country are 5.4 cm taller than in India
India: 155.2 cm (2019) · World median: 160.6 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in the median country is 3.1 years older than in India
India: 28.1 years (2023) · World median: 31.1 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in India have 0.1 more children on average than in the median country
India: 1.96 children per woman (2024) · World median: 1.9 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
8.6% of people in the median country are 65 or older, versus 7.4% in India
India: 7.4% (2025) · World median: 8.6% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
The median country hosts 5 times as many refugees per resident as India
India: 0.2 per 1,000 (2025) · World median: 0.8 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
India has produced 0.1 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, the median country none
India: 0.1 (2026) · World median: 0 (2026)
How many official languages?
India has 3 official languages, the median country 1
India: 3 (2026) · World median: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
India’s economy is 87 times the size of the median country’s
India: $3.96 trillion (2025) · World median: $45.5 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
The median country produces 79% more per person than India
India: Int$11,748 (2025) · World median: Int$21,072 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in the median country than in India (Gini 11.4 points higher)
India: 23 (2023) · World median: 34.4 (2023)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
2.6% of people in India live on less than $3 a day, versus 1.6% in the median country
India: 2.6% (2023) · World median: 1.6% (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 5.1% in the median country, versus 4.2% in India
India: 4.2% (2025) · World median: 5.1% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
India and the median country are practically level
India: 2.3% (2025) · World median: 1.8% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
The median country’s central government collects 17% of GDP in tax, India’s 6.9%
India: 6.9% (2022) · World median: 17% (2024)
How expensive is it?
The median country’s price level (US = 100) is 2× India’s
India: 23% (2025) · World median: 45% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The median country spends 5.6 times as much on health per person as India
India: $85 (2023) · World median: $470 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in the median country live 2.4 years longer than in India
India: 72.2 years (2024) · World median: 74.6 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in India is 84% more likely to die before turning one than in the median country
India: 23.3 per 1,000 (2024) · World median: 12.7 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
The median country has 2.3 times as many doctors per person as India
India: 0.7 per 1,000 (2020) · World median: 1.7 per 1,000 (2022)
How many hospital beds are there?
The median country has 52% more hospital beds per person than India
India: 1.6 per 1,000 (2021) · World median: 2.4 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in India is 53% higher than in the median country
India: 15.3 per 100k (2023) · World median: 10 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
24% of adults in the median country are obese, versus 8.0% in India
India: 8% (2024) · World median: 24% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
23% of adults in India smoke, versus 19% in the median country
India: 22.6% (2024) · World median: 19% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in the median country rate their lives 1.30 points higher than in India
India: 4.54 (2025) · World median: 5.83 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in India drink 21% more alcohol than in the median country
India: 5.2 litres (2023) · World median: 4.3 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
The median country has 6.9 times as much meat per person as India
India: 8.1 kg (2023) · World median: 56.2 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
The median country has 269 kcal more food per person per day than India
India: 2,669 kcal (2023) · World median: 2,938 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in India put in 408 more hours a year than in the median country
India: 2,383 hours (2023) · World median: 1,974 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in the median country went to school 3.1 years longer than in India
India: 6.9 years (2023) · World median: 9.9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
The median country welcomed 51 times as many tourists per resident as India (2019)
India: 0.01 (2024) · World median: 0.34 (2024)
How many World Heritage sites?
India has 42 more World Heritage sites than the median country (45 against 3)
India: 45 (2026) · World median: 3 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
India has won 41 Olympic medals, the median country 4
India: 41 (2026 edition) · World median: 4 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
82% of people in the median country are online, versus 70% in India
India: 70% (2025) · World median: 82% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in the median country is 77% faster than in India
India: 91 Mbps (2026) · World median: 161 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
The median country and India are practically level
India: 99.9% (2024) · World median: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
64% of people in the median country live in cities, versus 36% in India
India: 36% (2025) · World median: 64% (2025)
How many phones per person?
The median country has 115 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, India 79
India: 79 (2024) · World median: 115 (2024)
How much railway is there?
India’s railway network is 32 times as long as the median country’s
India: 68,103 km (2021) · World median: 2,141 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from the median country fly 94% more passengers per resident than those from India
India: 0.12 (2023) · World median: 0.24 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 33% of the median country, but only 24% of India
India: 24.4% (2024) · World median: 32.8% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in the median country emits 36% more CO₂ than someone in India
India: 2.2 t (2024) · World median: 3 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
31% of the median country’s electricity is renewable, versus 24% in India
India: 24.1% (2025) · World median: 30.8% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in India carries 2.7 times as much fine dust as in the median country
India: 44.2 µg/m³ (2024) · World median: 16.6 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 25% more likely to be murdered in India than in the median country
India: 2.8 per 100k (2022) · World median: 2.3 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in India are 37% deadlier than in the median country
India: 25.4 per 100k (2023) · World median: 18.6 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
India is on average 1.5 °C warmer than the median country
India: 24.5°C (2016–2025 avg) · World median: 23°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
India gets 25% more rain than the median country
India: 1,268 mm (2016–2025 avg) · World median: 1,014 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is India bigger than the median country?
India is larger. The median country fits inside India 30 times.
Which has more people, India or the median country?
India has 198 times as many people as the median country (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, India or the median country?
People in the median country live 2.4 years longer than in India. Life expectancy at birth is 72.2 years in India and 74.6 in the median country.
Are people taller in India or the median country?
Men in the median country are 7.0 cm taller than in India (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
